Sunday, April 16, 2017

Happy Easter 2017

The Easter Bunny (Autumn hasn't believed in the Easter Bunny for a few years, but still believes in Santa Claus) stopped by our house to drop off some Easter treats. Autumn was so excited about the puff paints inside the canvas bag so she can use them to decorate the bag & be artistic.

Spencer was still half asleep and wasn't feeling very well. But, he LOVED his new comforter and even took it out and wrapped up in it for most of the rest of the day.

Frank used the timer on his phone for the first time so we could all be in the picture. For lunch we kept it simple & had taquitos & cabbage/noodle salad.

Our Happy Easter family pic. Church was really good, and the closing hymn was so powerful that the tears just flowed. I'm so thankful for my Savior and that He was willing to perform the Atonement in my behalf. Both in the Garden of Gethsemane & also on Golgotha. Because of Him, I can be with my family forever. Because of Him, I have hope. Because of Him, my life is infinitely better every single day. Because of Him, I can do better and BE better.

"I think of how dark that FRIDAY was when Christ was lifted up on the cross.

On that terrible FRIDAY the earth shook and grew dark. Frightful storms lashed at the earth.

Those evil men who sought His life rejoiced. Now that Jesus was no more, surely those who followed Him would disperse. On that day they stood triumphant. On that day the veil of the temple was rent in twain.

Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus, were both overcome with grief and despair. The superb man they had loved and honored hung lifeless upon the cross.

On that FRIDAY the Apostles were devastated. Jesus, their Savior—the man who had walked on water and raised the dead—was Himself at the mercy of wicked men. They watched helplessly as He was overcome by His enemies.On that FRIDAY the Savior of mankind was humiliated and bruised, abused and reviled.

It was a FRIDAY filled with devastating, consuming sorrow that gnawed at the souls of those who loved and honored the Son of God.

I think that of all the days since the beginning of this world’s history, that FRIDAY was the darkest.

But the doom of that day did not endure. The despair did not linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death. He ascended from the grave and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all mankind.

And in an instant the eyes that had been filled with ever-flowing tears dried. The lips that had whispered prayers of distress and grief now filled the air with wondrous praise, for Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God, stood before them as the firstfruits of the Resurrection, the proof that death is merely the beginning of a new and wondrous existence.

*** Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays.

But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.

No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come. In this life or the next, Sunday will come."-Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin Oct. 2006

We came home, had lunch, and I made sheet cake eclairs for dessert. Frank liked them, but his favorite is still the tres leches cake.

We took some over to Nate & Riannon b/c we had so much and didn't want it sitting around the house. Plus, it was fun to see them. Olivia had Frank & Spencer come sit on the floor by her kitchen so she could feed them. She kept giving them a bottle of something "spicy" and when they would pretend to drink it & then start coughing and making yucky faces she would CRACK UP! It was so cute & funny.

Spencer found this pink onesie pajama w/ a butt flap and wore it most of the evening. LOL! We had fun just playing around, being silly, watching basketball, and being together. What a special Easter Sunday!!!